There are only four months left until the boating season begins. It may seem like four months is far away. Even though the weather is still chilly and gray, it is not too early to start thinking about getting the boat or your crew ready for May.

For a carefree summer of boating now is the time to begin thinking about how your boat and gear are faring this winter. If all you plan to do is slap on a coat of bottom paint in a few months and get your boat back in the water, you should also really consider how an engine failure or need for a tow could cut into your summer fun. A periodic, complete safety inspection of the engine, hull, and other systems will take less time than you think and pay off significantly throughout the boating season.

Over the next month you should take notice of the condition of easily recognizable things like seacocks, hoses, zincs, clamps, any chafed wires or battery cables. In another month or two you should look at them again to see if the winterizing you did on the boat is really holding up. Inspecting and lubricating seacocks is easy. It is also easy to look at hoses and hose clamps (two at each fitting below or near the waterline). This is also the best time to replace gate valves, if any, with seacocks. Gate valves are prone to failure and are not as reliable as seacocks.

Keep an eye on the deterioration of zincs. They disintegrate quickly, even over the winter when the boat is dry-docked, and give a good indication of what will most likely happen to important underwater machinery if they were not there. If a zinc has gone or has been reduced to fine particles, then check the other metal surfaces, especially under the waterline of the boat, to make sure they did not also suffer from electrolysis. Zincs that disappear after less than one season indicate something is wrong and you should have a boat mechanic look at the boat before putting it in the water for the summer. This is vital to preventing a tragic event like a fire.

Oyster Bay Marine Supply on South Street and other boating supply stores are holding sales on foul weather gear and other items to make room for new inventory for the peak of the boating season. Now is a good time to browse around and see what is on sale. It is also a good time to buy rain gear. I prefer to dress in layers. I use a Henri Lloyd (high-priced) navy blue jacket with nylon face fabric and a breathable coating that keeps the water out but does not make you too warm. I cannot stand getting my upper body wet, especially on a cold and clammy day so I tend to invest more in this. For pants I use the West Marine brand (reasonably priced) light rubber ones with a drawstring (or elastic) which only come up to the waist and with legs baggy enough to get over my boots or docksiders. It is much easier to wear than the bib type, which are tough to work in, use in the head, or to make a quick change in or out of during a sailboat race.

Captains should also begin encouraging their crew to stock up on their gear. Having crew wear the same solid color rain jacket with big numbers in glow tape on the back and smaller numbers on the front is a good idea. It is very easy for the captain to quickly yell "number three, tighten the main halyard" over the roar of the wind and rain, especially with a large crew when it is hard to recognize a face quickly to shout an order. Captains should also get everyone onboard to wear a rigging knife, sailing gloves, a police whistle (in case one falls overboard), and a stopwatch to make sure everyone is using the same timeframe.

For more information about boating please contact me at 922-0555 or JaimeVanDyke@gmail.com. Please also visit www.sagamoreyc.com or look up SagamoreRacing on Yahoo!Groups on the web.